In a few years, when we’re all working ourselves to death in the streaming video mines of Planet Netflix, we’ll think back to stories like this and wonder why nobody stood up to try and save the human race. Why didn’t we watch the local news instead of Netflix? Why didn’t we just read books? Why did we keep paying to get discs in the mail for so long? Well, it’s because Netflix has been on a roll lately, especially with Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Daredevil. If the price we have to pay for more shows like that is allowing Netflix to take over the planet (as they themselves just copped to planning), is it really so bad?
Hopefully you said no, because that’s what’s happening. As reported by Variety, Netflix added a record-breaking 4.9 million new subscribers in the first quarter of 2015 (basically January through March) to its streaming service, several hundred thousand more than it was expecting. Those 4.9 million people are from all over the world, but Netflix attributes a lot of the growth to the United States and cited the premieres of Kimmy Schmidt, Bloodline, and the third season of House Of Cards as especially helpful in reaching these numbers.